1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to endless chain or belt conveyor systems for filling containers, and more specifically to filling systems for achieving a desired weight in a container by the addition of one article.
2. Background Information
Product handling for agricultural products often involves moving the products from a bulk bin or tote into smaller containers. This is achieved in a variety of ways, many of which use endless belts or endless conveyor chains. Some of these devices move the container as it fills to control the distance that fruit or produce drops into the container. Some move the container around so that fruit or produce going into a box is filled one layer at a time in discreet sections. For situations in which fruit or produce is filled into a bag or box, and the container must be over a certain weight, various systems or devices are used to achieve this weight. One device weighs potential additions to the container, and as the container nears its target fill weight, selects from the potential additions to the container, and chooses the fruit or vegetable whose addition will make the container exceed its minimum, by the least amount possible. This system is complicated and expensive, and is not typically used in produce bagging and weighing.
Other transporting, weighing and filling systems utilize a system of two belts which operate at different speeds. Fruit or produce is conveyed on both belts into the container. One of these belts or chain conveyors may operate at a different speed than the other, or they may both operate at the same speed. When the target weight is reached or when a warning weight is reached, one of the belts is stopped, usually the faster and more high-volume belt, and the other belt continues to feed fruit or produce, usually at a slower rate, into the container. As fruit or produce drops from the slower belt into the container, the container plus the fruit is continually weighed, and when a target weight is exceeded, the second belt stops. At that point the container is full, and is replaced by an empty container to be filled by the two belts.
The disadvantage of this system just described is that it requires two belts, each with a separate motor and speed controller, for operation. A simpler system would utilize one belt per container, so that more containers could be filled with the same amount of equipment.
Other systems block the flow of fruit or produce when a target weight is reached. The blockage may cause a buildup of articles, which when released can cause a dump of articles into the bag being filled.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to fill a container by a filling and weighing system, which can cease filling the container when a target weight is exceeded by the addition of one article of produce or fruit.
It is a further object of the invention to utilize one endless belt or chain per container to be filled, and to utilize one motor per endless belt or chain per container to be filled, and to utilize one motor per endless belt or chain.
Another object of the invention is to provide an endless chain which causes food or produce to form into a single file before they are added to a container.
It is a further object of the invention to combine a weighing system with a bag filling system. It is a further object of the invention to provide a filling and weighing system which utilizes multiple endless chains or belts, so that changing a container on one does not halt the flow of articles through the system.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description as follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.